The Only Exception: Falling
by Sidney Ella Ford
Summary: The second installment in The Only Exception series. They've learned to love their new relationship, and now it's time to love one another. But is it true love, or a mirage by the imprint? R&R
1. Pretty and Pink

**So here's the next installment in The Only Exception series. I'm really happy, and I know it's not ten, but my internet is being sporadic, so I wanted to post this while it's behaving. Reviews, please. Oh, and I don't own. **

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><p>"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" someone was muttering, pacing around my room, if the footsteps were any indicator.<p>

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes focus on the room. "What are you doing here?"

Embry smiled and walked over to my bed, then sat on his knees to look at me. "Waiting for you to wake up."

"Correction," I said, lolling my head over to look at him. "_How_ are you in here?"

"Sue let me in," he said, leaning his face close to mine. "What time did you go to bed last night, Lee?"

I narrowed my eyes at him mockingly. "The same time _someone_ stopped talking to the voices in his head. You know, Bry, most doctors would think that was a bad sign of your mental health."

"You," Embry said, leaning closer so his breath fanned over my lips, "are _very _bad for my health."

"And _you_," I said, throwing off my cover, "are far too cheesy this morning." I sat up and made a 'go away' motion. "Go, I need to change."

He stood and sat on my bed next to me, then pulled me into his arms and tried to kiss me, then whined when I pushed him away. "Leah! That's twice in one morning!"

"I know," I said, waving him away. "You're being overly cheesy."

"So now my cheesiness is grounds for penalty? You usually like it!"

I laughed at him. "No, I tolerate it. It's cute. But not when I've just woken up. Now shoo, I need to get dressed, then we can go to Sam and Emily's."

Embry pouted and crossed his arms like a toddler. "I want to kiss my girlfriend _before_ she sees her ex-boyfriend."

My weakness. Over the last few weeks after the bonfire and all that went down with that, Embry and I had been spending more time with Sam and Emily, respectively. Embry was sensitive about having lunch with them together, because it was a first. He was being insecure, and it was kind of cute, but I didn't want him to be jealous of his jackass brother. That, and he called me his girlfriend (a rare occurrence for us to address one another as such), which set about ten billion butterflies loose in my tummy.

"Bry," I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. Even if I wanted him, which I _don't_, I don't have a choice. I _need_ you. Okay?"

He was silent for a minute, then peeked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Can I have a kiss?"

"When we pull up at Sam and Emily's, I'll give you a kiss that'll set anyone straight. Okay?"

He smiled full on. "Okay. Now get dressed, we don't want to be late!"

I stuck tongue out at him and got up, then motioned to the door. "May I?"

"Aw, Lee, you forget I've seen you naked," he said, standing up and giving me a playful look.

"Yeah, Bry, years ago when I phased for the first time. And if you keep this up, I won't kiss you at all."

He was out in a flash, and I was able to dress in peace. I decided to wear one of the dresses Rosalie had bought for me when she and I had gone shopping the day before. It wasn't so bad, hanging out with her, and we'd already decided to do it again soon. The dress she'd picked out was stark white, and she said it contrasted beautifully with my skin. It was a fairly plain sundress, with spaghetti straps and flowing fabric that hit mid-thigh. I paired it with a pair of flip flops and a headband to hold back my choppy hair, then left my room. Embry was sitting in the living room with Mom and Seth, and he gave me a once over and his mouth opened slightly.

"You look so beautiful, Leah!" Mom said, smiling brightly. "That Rosalie girl has good tastes."

I grinned and shrugged. "I guess. C'mon, Bry, we don't want to keep Sam and Emily waiting."

Embry scrambled to follow me and made a point to open the door for me, then opened the passenger door of his car for me. "Milady."

I smirked at him when he got into the drivers side. "What's with the ogling and the gentleman act?"

"Who said it was an act?" he said, sticking his tongue out at me. "And you just look really…"

"Girly?" I teased, shaking my hair.

Embry blushed. "Beautiful. White looks really good on you."

My turn to blush. "You're not getting that kiss until we pull up at Sam and Emily's."

He feigned crying and pulled out of my driveway. The mile and a half to Sam and Emily's was fairly quiet, and when we pulled into their driveway, our hands met in reassurance. I laughed at the way we didn't even read each others' mind to 'read each others' mind', then I turned my head to him and smiled.

"Calm down. You'll get wrinkles," I said, then leaned over and pressed my lips to his softly, raising my free hand to his cheek to bring him closer.

He grabbed my wrist and held me in place for a long moment, not allowing me to break the kiss. When he did pull back, his kissed the inside of my wrist, then my forehead. "Let's go."

Embry got out and opened my door for me, then we went to greet our respective family members. Emily grabbed my hands and dragged me inside the instant I was up to her, leaving the boys to have 'guy time'. She pulled me to the back room that no one used, then covered my eyes so I couldn't see anything.

"Planning on murdering me, Em?" I laughed, trying to fight her hands off of me.

"I found out what I was having yesterday!" she squealed, holding her hands firm. "Do you want to know what it is?"

"Uh, yeah!"

She dropped her hands from my eyes, which were promptly assaulted by all things pink. "It's a girl!"

"It's a girl!" she repeated, clapping her hands together. "I'm having a girl!"

I turned around to embrace my cousin tightly. "Aw, Emily! You'll make a great mother. Hell, you act like a mom to the pack with all the food and spoiling them rotten. You fit right in with Mama Wolf and Mama Leech."

She quirked an eyebrow at me, then shrugged it off. I used to spout out nonsense a lot when we were kids, so I suppose my inner ravings weren't much different. "Can you feel the bump?"

I hadn't noticed it until then, but now that she mentioned it, I felt something foreign pressing lightly against my stomach. "Emily Young-Uley has a baby bump. This is big! The mini-you is gonna be huge!"

She laughed sarcastically, then grinned down at her own stomach. "Yeah, but she'll be worth losing my figure over."

I smiled, then hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you."

"It's conceited, but me, too," she said, squeezing me back. "And Alyssa's been letting me practice on Claire when Quil hasn't kidnapped her to go to the beach or the playground. Though it _will_ be a while before mine is four."

"Oh, I'd say four and a half years," I teased. "But next time you have Claire you should come over to mine for lunch. I haven't seen her in a while."

"It's a date," Emily said, looping her arm through mine. "Now let's go to the kitchen. The_ boys_ wanted to cook, so I want to be there to see the show."

My eyes widened comically. "I have to see this."

We traipsed into the kitchen and took seats at the bar, watching the show. At the moment we walked in, Sam was attempting to sauté some peppers and Embry was browning strips of beef. They were both growing frustrated with their jobs, but continued to work, even when Emily tried to offer to help.

"No, dear," Sam kept saying, preoccupied with his work. "I'm handling it."

"But don't you think I could just-" Emily pressed, looking uneasy at the tortillas he was trying to crisp.

Sam looked up and waved his spatula at her. "This is the only thing you've ever let me cook. I'm going to cook."

She bit her lip. "I don't trust you."

"I know."

Their banter was entertaining, and didn't make me the least bit jealous or uneasy. Embry and I kept sharing glances and snickering, occasionally using the mind connection to make a comment to one another without interrupting our entertainment.

When lunch was finally finished, we all sat at their little table to eat the quesadillas the boys had made. The peppers were a little raw and the beef was slightly burnt, but it was actually pretty good (and safe to eat, like it wouldn't be if it were the other way around). As a surprise, Emily had made a peanut butter pie for after lunch, and we all ate hardy slices and chatted. It felt very grown up, but fun at the same time, like a double date of sorts.

We didn't reminisce, at all. The memories for us all were far too painful and complicated, and this lunch and the past weeks of hanging out had been to wipe the slate clean. Embry rarely questioned me about Sam, and I didn't question Emily. We just…coexisted, and we were fine.

All too soon, we were heading back to my house to hang out just Embry and I. That was a very odd drive home, seeing as about six deer ran in front of us. The first, second, and third were startling; the fourth, fifth, and sixth were amusing. On the seventh, we hit the tree.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews? Thoughts? And trust me, the tree will be funny. **

**~Sidney**


	2. Little Mister Sunshine

**My first day of summer vacation called for a celebration, and what better way to celebrate than to post the next chapter? It's really fluffy, and a lot of Falling will be fluffy. A reminder, if you haven't read Bonding, you will be LOST. L-O-S-T LOST. I don't own anything you recognize. Please review. **

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><p>"Leah, I'm so so so so-"<p>

"Embry Morgan Call, if you don't _shut up_ I'll make you _really _sorry," I said through gritted teeth. I bit my lip to hold in a yelp as the vampire doctor re-broke the first of the improperly reset bones.

Somehow, by some sick twist of fate, the exact way the car collided with the tree was the exact way it needed to accordion up and absolutely shatter my legs in the mess of metal (though this may because my intelligent self was using one of the boyish habits I'd picked up in the pack and resting my feet on the dashboard, in a skirt no less). Embry had gone into a frenzy to yank the metal of the car apart with a greater strength than the jaws of life, then carried me all the way to the hospital (where he knew the leech doctor to be) while I cussed through gritted teeth, willing away the pain.

"Leah, please be still or I'll have to do it again," Carlisle was saying, checking that the first of five breaks was set correctly. "Embry, I said distract her, not upset her."

Suddenly, he snapped the next one, and I yelped in pain.

Embry had an expression on his face that relayed my pain. "Leah…"

"No!" I snapped, grabbing his cheeks. "I blame the stupid deer for getting in our way. I blame the pack for making me act like a tomboy and prop my feet on the dashboard. I don't blame you! Just shut up and let him fin- _Ouch_!"

Carlisle looked up with an apologetic smile. "Just two more and then we'll get you in a cast. It'll probably take about a week for you to heal, since there was some muscle damage where the bone pierced into you."

Embry kissed me on the mouth gently, smothering the next yelp. "I swear I'll make this up to you-"

He was drowned out by my shouting every expletive I'd ever heard or read. Carlisle chuckled when I smacked Embry across the face for apologizing when I shut up cussing. Carlisle set to work binding my legs in plaster. When he was done, I tried to call my mother to get our insurance information, but he stopped me.

"The only payment I request is for you to come around to our home more often. Everyone loves having you around and we'd like to see more of you."

I nodded, blushing slightly at his kindness. "Thanks for fixing me up."

"You're very welcome. Stay off your legs for a week, and Leah…" He cut his eyes to where Embry was talking to Jacob on the phone outside the room. "Let him spoil you. He feels guilty and he wants to make it up to you."

He didn't let me argue, and offered us a ride home.

"No thanks," Embry said. "Jake's gonna be here in five. He's going to take us home and then see if he can salvage my car."

"Okay, well, you can't carry her out, so she'll have to use the chair," Carlisle said, giving Embry a 'look'. "But when you're on the reservation you can do whatever you want to do. Come to our house when you're fully healed and I'll take them off."

I shook his hand after he and Embry put me in the chair, and thanked him. Finally, I was able to go home. Seth was home and had a heart attack when Embry wheeled me through the front door, but Jacob calmed him down and they both went to check on the wreckage that was Embry's car. Embry made a prop for me on the coffee table by stacking several pillows up, and spoiled me rotten, all before my mother got home. When Mom did get home…well…

"What did you do to my baby?" she shrieked, rushing to my side. "What happened?"

"Mom, it was no one's fault," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "A stupid deer ran in front of us and we hit a tree. I swear, it was a total accident."

It took a while for Mom to calm down, but by the end of the night, and after Embry spoiling the _both_ of us, she was okay. From her spot next to me, she yawned hugely and announced that she was going to bed, and not to stay up too late, and no funny business. "Thank you for taking care of her, Embry."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Sue."

"Night, Mom."

Mom wished us a good night and left, leaving us alone.

"Do you need anything, Leah?" Embry asked after about ten seconds of silence.

I turned to him and patted the spot my mother had just abandoned. "Sit over here and stop acting like I'm a porcelain doll."

He crossed the room and sat next to me, wrapping an arm gingerly around my shoulders. "I'm-"

"Say sorry, and I'll make sure you never talk again," I said, giving him a ferocious look.

He bit his lip and looked at his lap. "Okay." His voice was small, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Bry," I said, putting a hand on his cheek. "Look, it was a car _accident_. It's okay."

Embry said nothing, but tightened his hold on me.

I put my other hand on his cheek. "Embry, look at me."

His slowly lifted his eyes to a spot behind me. "What?"

I placed my mouth over his. After a long moment, he responded to my kiss. _Finally_. Barely, but finally.

"God, I'm no better than my brother!" he spat, pulling back and throwing his hands over his face. "I can't believe I hurt you…"

"Stop comparing yourself to Sam when you're with _me_," I said, grabbing his wrist and yanking one hand away from his face. "Look at me! Damn it, _look at me_!"

When Embry's eyes met mine, I saw tears. "Why?"

"Because," I said, putting my hands on his face. "You are so much better than him!"

"Am I? Really? As far as I can see it, I'm as bad as him."

"How?" I asked incredulously. "How do you see it?"

His eyes grew dark. "I didn't fight the imprint, even though it hurt you. You already had to go through it before, and now you don't even have a chance to get away from it because instead of you being affected by it, you _are_ it. You don't have a choice to be with me and that hurts you," -_I'm falling in love with you and that hurts you_- "and now I've gone and broken your legs and-"

He said he was in love with me… In his head, but he said it as though he were talking to me, so I heard it. But that meant that it was true… He had obviously been contemplating that fact for a bit.

"You love me?"

Well, that shut him up.

"I…I didn't mean to say that…" Embry said, blushing, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"But you meant it." That was a statement, not a question.

"Well…well yeah…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. "I did."

"Then shut up," I said, giving the tiniest of smiles. "Stop being guilty. I know you didn't mean to hit the tree. You do a lot of things you don't mean to do."

He cracked a tiny smile. "Just a little. Sorry Leah; um, for both things." _The L word…_

I cupped his face in my hands, pulling his forehead to mine. "It's okay."

"Really?"

"Really," I said firmly. "Kiss?"

"Kiss."

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his gently, and he responded with far more enthusiasm than the last try. Later that night, when he was trying to spoil me, I didn't fight him.

"Do you want some more coke?" he asked, standing to go refill his own glass.

"No thanks, I have plenty," I said passively.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat while I'm up?"

"Can you bring me a slice of the cake Emily sent over?" I asked, thinking about how good peanut butter cake sounded at that particular moment.

"Do you want to tell me while you're not fighting me?"

"Because you love me."

Suddenly Embry was behind me, grabbing me in a headlock and planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "Yes I do. Who knew all I had to do to make you shut up about my loving on you was to _say_ I love you?"

I smirked, wriggling free from his grasp. "Rule one with girls: telling them you love them and meaning it always works."

"So I guess that's why none of my other girlfriends stuck around long," he said, hopping over the back of the couch.

"You honestly never said you loved one of your other girlfriends?" I said, chuckling.

"No, I said it," he said, with a slight shrug. "I've just never meant it before you."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please. Also, check out my blog. Link on profile. **

**~Sidney**


	3. Princess Leah

**This is wear this story could be considered a companion to the Fluffy series. Remember in The Friendly Fluffy when Nessie and Jacob mentioned Embry and Leah? Well, this is their story, and I've just forgotten to mention that the whole time I've been writing this. I don't own anything recognizable, and please review! **

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><p>Letting Embry spoil me became quite fun. He liked it, so by the effects of the imprint, I liked it. Over the week I was off my feet, I became princess Leah. We were confined to my house, but everyday Embry brought over DVDs, video games, and his laptop (since he was still taking his online courses). We kissed and cuddled and just talked. It was kind of fun. Like how our first week should have been. We talked about a lot of things, and Mom and Seth liked having him around. Seth had gotten over his initial fury, and even went back to his calm demeanor, calling Embry 'bro' without thinking twice. Mom actually offered to let him stay over once or twice (on the couch, obviously) but he turned her down, because -as he'd told only me- he and his mother had been bonding and getting to where they were in their relationship before the wolf thing ripped their routine apart.<p>

When Carlisle took my casts off, I almost missed them. But I soon learned that my title as princess wouldn't disappear. The hanging out in my house constantly, not so much. It wouldn't be missed. At all. It was much more fun to get out and do more things. We paid a visit to the Cullens' with Jacob the first full day I was on my feet, and went out to lunch with Jacob and Nessie. Edward and my soon-to-be step-sister were celebrating their first anniversary, so he was staying with her all weekend.

It was extremely rare that the baby got out, so we went a fair way out of Forks, so as to not draw attention to ourselves. The car ride was surprisingly bearable, as the little girl only spoke when she wanted something from me or Embry, since she was situated on Jacob's lap and could communicate by touching his face.

At the restaurant we decided to eat at, Nessie sat on Jacob's lap, which earned several looks from the waitresses. When our waitress came to take our drink orders she kept glancing between us all. When she came back with our drinks, she finally worked up the nerve to ask what everyone in the restaurant was dying to know.

"I'm sorry, but that little girl looks nothing like none of you," she blurted, blushing crimson. "It's just bugging everyone in the kitchen, trying to figure out the connection."

"She's my niece," I said, at the same time Nessie squealed, "Jacob is my fluffy!"

The waitress looked even more confused, and it didn't escape the notice of Nessie. "Jacob is Momma's best friend. Momma and Aunt Leah are going to be sisters when Grampa and Nana Sue get married. Momma and Daddy are watching grown up movies again today so Jacob is playing with me this weekend!"

"Okay," the waitress said, still looking confused. She didn't press further, but we all heard her relaying the story to the other workers in the kitchen, which made the baby giggle.

"I intrigue them," she said matter-of-factly, grinning proudly at her use of 'big words'.

"Yes you do, baby girl," Jacob said, kissing her head. "What do you want to eat?"

"Chicken alfredo, with the spaghetti au dente" she said, pointing to the picture in the menu and pronouncing it perfectly. "Daddy taught me that word."

_Jake's gonna pull a muscle if he doesn't stop smiling like that,_ Embry thought my direction, catching my eye and smirking.

_Yeah. What looks good to you? _

_The steak. I'm not big on Italian. _

_Yeah, well, you've just never had my Italian. You have to let me cook it for you some time, _I replied, mentally sticking my tongue out at him.

He elbowed me slightly. _Whatever. _"I'm having steak."

"Sounds good," I agreed, for the sake of the conversation. I wasn't particularly in the mood for pasta, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get something else. "Rare?"

"Are you really asking that question?" Embry replied, chuckling. "Do you want to share one?"

"Sure. With a salad?"

"Eh-" He caught sight of my glare and quickly changed his answer. "Sure."

I smiled and leaned over to peck his cheek. "Thank you."

Suddenly, Nessie looked up at us. "Uncle Emmett says Daddy is whipped because he does whatever Momma says. Are you whipped, Uncle Embry?"

Jacob howled with laughter and Embry turned bloody red.

"Yeah, kiddo, he definitely is," I said, winking at her.

She giggled, then nodded. "Yes, I think so."

Lunch was amusing, and in the end Nessie fell asleep from being so full, so the ride back was even quieter than the ride there. Embry and I went to his house when we got back to La Push, and we spent the afternoon and evening at his house. Cassie offered to make dinner, but Embry and I decided to order in a pizza so she could chill out after work. Again, we had a late night talking. We had several late nights talking.

It became a routine for us. We would spend all day together, patrolling, studying, kissing, cuddling, anything we dreamed up. At night, we would sit, legs intertwined, simply talking. He told me all about growing up without a father, I told him about losing mine. I told him about how me and Sam used to be, he told me how we would be better. It was nice, and we never got bored. Cassie and Mom got us all together every Thursday night, and after one good week, Seth and even Charlie joined the mix.

The night Charlie joined the mix was a night no one will ever forget. It was the night after Charlie proposed, and everyone was excited and happy. Seth was really truly happy, and was on the same wavelength as I was thinking that Dad would have wanted it no differently. Charlie was funny in a dry way, and took it quite well when we all explained how and why Embry and I had become attached at the hip. He didn't faint, as Cassie had done, but he did drink about three more beers before the night was over. It was quite an experience. That night alone supplied three nights of conversation for Embry and I. Life was becoming normal again, and I came to love the fact that Embry was a part of it.

"Do you want to go to the diner today?" Embry asked, panting slightly after a run.

I wasn't quite as out of breath as he was, but then again I wasn't the one who ran as a human for ten minutes because I wanted to tone up my already toned physique. I finished tying the neck on my cotton halter top and emerged from the trees I was hiding behind. "Sure, but no torturing waitresses."

"Aw, but it's so fun," he fake whined, coming up and pulling me into his arms. "Kiss?"

I leaned up on tiptoe to press my lips to his cheek lightly. "Only when you prove you can go without torturing waitresses."

At the diner, Embry kept totally silent, holding my hand across the table and having me order for him. The waitress was the one we'd tortured all those weeks (had it really only been weeks?) before and was very cautious with us. Embry was fighting his inner demons and trying not to mess with her when she kept staring at him and glaring at me.

_So hard… One joke?_

_Nope._

_PLEASE, Leah. PLEASE. _

_Be a good boy and you get a kiss,_ I teased.

He pouted_. It better be a damn good kiss._

Oh, two can play that game. _Is it ever anything but?_

In the end, he relented and kept quiet, then dragged me out to his car quickly. He was jittery the whole ride to my house, and then nearly suffocated me pressing me against the front door for one hell of a kiss.

"If we don't stop the neighbors will talk," I murmured around his lips.

"Quil and his family are the neighbors. They know everything," he growled, kissing harder. "Everything that has and will happen."

"Inside, at least," I said. "It's starting to rain. And get your mind out of the gutter. You're not getting anywhere you haven't been before."

Embry mocked a pout, then pressed his lips to mine one last time. "Maybe I need to go home. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we've been glued together for over a month now. People will talk."

I smiled and nodded a bit. "Maybe so. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. Goodnight, Leah," he said, giving me one last, searing kiss. "I love you."

I smiled and kissed him again, lightly. "Goodnight."

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><p><strong>AN: Please review! **

**~Sidney**


	4. Lovely Realizations

**This chapter is a little weird. It was one of those 'not nearly close to being rated M but Sidney is OCD and paranoid about it' chapters. As I have clarified in the past, I don't write lemons, period. The closest thing to a lemon I've written isn't even in this story, but I'm a bit paranoid so I'm going to warn you. Embry and Leah talk about sex. But remember, they're adults (or legally, anyway, whatever age they look) and it's a perfectly normal conversation to have, considering it's highly insinuated in the books that the imprinted couples of appropriate age do more than talk about things like that. Either way, I feel kinda weird posting it, but it's in no way graphic or inappropriate. I don't even think there's cursing in this chapter…. Which is kind of rare for me. Anyway, this AN is too long, so I don't own, and please review! **

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><p>"Oh, Leah, you look darling!" my mother cooed, clapping her hands together.<p>

"You do look really nice, Lee," Rosalie said, tilting her head to one side. "Mrs. Clearwater, did you pick that out?" It was surprising, but Mom had wanted her input in the wedding planning, despite her 'species'.

Mom smiled and nodded, standing to get a better look. "My lovely Maid of Honor! You look so beautiful in that dress, sweetheart. I can't believe I'm doing this again."

"Getting married?" Emily asked from her seat, a hand on her noticeable baby bump.

"Picking out a wedding dress. The wedding isn't the hard part. The dresses, though…" Mom looked me up and down. "I just love pink on you, Leah. Now we need to find my dress…"

I smiled, doing a full turn. "Do you want me to pick it out for you?" I joked. "We could match."

"You, Leah, can pull off a strapless cocktail dress. You have the body of a supermodel. I, however, have the body of a middle aged widowed mother of two wild animals."

The dress shop worker smirked. "Oh, I understand feeling like you're raising a pack of wolves."

Mom, Emily, Rosalie, and I all burst into laughter. "Oh," Mom said, "you have no idea. Do you have the dresses I tried on before?"

The woman smiled and went to a rack. A moment later, she pulled off three different dresses. We ordered Mom to try them on, then decided from there. The first one was slightly too young, with spaghetti straps that she hated. The second was alright, but was far too large. The last was nearly perfect, with simple white floor length skirting, long sleeves, and a sweetheart neck. It just needed to be taken in a bit and it would be her wedding dress. But it had to be done _fast_.

Two days later was the actual wedding. It was fast, but it was exciting, and Charlie and Mom made each other happy.

"This day is going to be great," I said, straightening her veil.

"Do you really think so?" Mom asked, observing herself in the mirror. Her faintly lined face had an expression of worry. "Is the dress alright?"

"Mom, _yes_," I said, taking her hands. "You're beautiful."

She smiled a bit her lip, looking so young. "Thank you."

I smiled, then kissed her cheek. "Now all that's left is walking down the aisle."

"You don't think I'm going into this too fast, do you?"

"No. Now let's get you hitched."

She laughed, then grinned. "Let's go."

The wedding was beautiful and simple. Seth walked Mom down the aisle, Bella was Charlie's 'best man' and I was the Maid of Honor. Nessie was the flower girl and thoroughly enjoyed skipping down the aisle tossing flowers, and the audience (all tribe members and vampires, so there was no need to have any sort of act) all fawned over her. The reception was on the beach, bonfire form, and there was music and food and dancing. The wedding, though, had a surprise (and somewhat unwelcome) guest. Thunder and rain.

"Thank you for coming everyone!" Mom yelled into the microphone on the makeshift stage. "Get home safely!"

Charlie laughed and took her hand, pulling her offstage and out to the parking lot, to his cruiser and to their new life as husband and wife. They were going to Portland for a few days, then they would live at our house until Seth graduated. They would be keeping up (and occasionally staying at) his house until then, when they would permanently take up residence there. It was complicated, but they were happy with it.

The pack stayed behind to help clean up the area, but Embry kept arguing with me, telling me to go home so my dress wouldn't be ruined, that he could handle it. I told him no, ant that I could do whatever the hell I wanted to do and he couldn't stop me. The guys laughed at us for bickering. We finished just as the rain picked up into a full blown storm.

"Leah!" Embry called over the noise. "C'mon, we can leave this! Let's get you home!"

I took his hand and dragged him along, beginning to urn towards my house. _Let's go! _

Thunder crashed around us, making me laugh like a wild woman from the thrill of it. Embry laughed at my cackling, smiling the whole run down the streets of La Push. _God, I love you so much, Leah._

We made it all the way to my house, where I had to reach up into the hanging flower pot for the spare key, my dress not having anywhere to stash a key. We continued laughing as we watched Quil and Seth run like maniacs to Quil's house, both soaked to the bone with their coattails flapping in their wake. After having a good laugh at their expense, I unlocked the door, then reached up to toss the key into the flower pot again.

A crash of thunder hit just as I turned the door knob, making me collapse into Embry's arms, still laughing with him. "I love you, too!"

His face looked shot, then he breathed a quick, "What?"

"I said," I spoke louder, shouting as several rolls of thunder hit, "I love you!"

Embry's lips were on mine as we fell through the open door, kissing intensely and out of no where. It may have been the fact that we were just happy, it could have been the fact that the storm added to our animal instincts, and it could have been the fact that it was the first time I said I loved him, but Embry was kissing me more heatedly than ever before. And I loved it.

After what felt like forever pressed into the wall of the foyer, kissing until our lips were chapped, Embry pulled back and then hugged my tightly, holding me as close as humanly possible. His warm arms held me, and his face rested in my hair.

"I love you, too, Leah," he finally said after a while, softly.

I smiled. "Let's get into something dry."

"Okay."

Embry changed into some sweats he'd left here after the last time we ran patrol together while I changed into some pajamas, then we cuddled on the couch for a while. Later that night, over a dinner of leftover pizza, I made a suggestion.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" I said, not meeting his eyes as I toyed with the crust of my slice.

"Okay," he said, after a long moment of silence. "I'll call Mom and tell her I won't be home. Can I use your phone?"

"Go ahead," I said, fighting a smile.

Embry got up and walked to the wall phone, dialing his house. "Hey, Mom. I won't be home tonight." Silence while she spoke. "I'm staying the night at Leah's house." More silence. "Seth's staying at Quil's tonight, so she'll be alone." Silence… "Exactly. I don't really want her alone, anyway." Getting sick of silence here. "Yeah, goodnight. I love you, Mom." He finally hung up.

I smiled at him as he sat back down. "So do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Embry smiled and nodded. "We can see what's on."

A little while later, we sat on the couch, eating out of a carton of ice cream and watching an old Meg Ryan movie. The phone rang a bit later. It was Mom, and she and Charlie had made it to Portland. Nearly the second after I hung up with Mom, Seth called from Quil's house, telling me he wouldn't make it home, like I knew.

"Okay, well, are you going to be okay alone?" he asked.

"You're only across the street, and Embry's still here. I'll be fine. Love you, Sethy."

"Love you, too, Lee."

I finally got back to the couch and sat down. When the movie ended, though, I suddenly had no idea what to do. Suddenly, all of the things I hadn't thought about began to come to my mind. Where would he sleep? When would he want to go to bed? What if he wanted to do more than just kiss?

Embry looked at me and smiled. "Sleepy, Leah?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

He laughed, then put an arm around my shoulders. "Well, do you want to go to bed?"

"I guess. Where do you want to sleep?" The million dollar question.

"Wherever," Embry said passively. "The couch, your room, wherever you feel comfortable."

"Well, um, where would you rather sleep?"

"Where are you going to sleep?" That struck me as a rather dumb question.

I replied in kind of a 'no duh' tone. "My bed."

"Well I thought I'd sleep where you sleep," he said, unperturbed. "Do you mind?"

I blushed crimson. "Okay, I have room."

He put a hand on my cheek. "Are you uncomfortable with me sleeping in your bed with you?"

"What? No!" I said quickly. "I was just…surprised is all. Well, I guess it's bed time."

Embry smiled, then took my hand and led me to my room. I pulled back the covers on my bed and slid in, leaving ample space for Embry to lay down. He turned off the lights and got in as well, pulling me into his arms and kissing my lips.

"I love you, Leah," he said around feather light kisses, holding me in his warm arms.

"I love you, too, Embry… But…" I was nervous, but I had to get my thoughts out in the open.

"But what?" Embry asked, sounding concerned. "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath, then looked Embry in the eye in the faint light from the small plug in night light in the corner. "I'm not ready to have sex with you. I'm sorry, but…I'm just not ready to be that kind of intimate with you. I didn't think about it before I asked you to sleep over, but I'm just not ready."

A look of realization dawned on his face. "Oh, well, Leah, it's okay. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, or if it seemed like I was too eager for…anything. I wasn't thinking about it either. I just wanted to be close to you. I can go to the couch if you want me to."

"No," I said, in a slightly unconvincing tone. "I just… It's been so long since I felt this way. I was just thinking about how I said I loved you, I asked you to spend the night, and we're both kind-of-adults that have been in a serious relationship for a notable amount of time… So I thought I might have made it seem like…yeah…"

"Leah, you will always be more important than something so trivial," Embry said, rubbing my back a little. "I'm sorry if I seemed too eager, or if I made you uncomfortable. Trust me, sex is the farthest thing from my mind. You're more important to me than anything, and I didn't mean to make you nervous."

I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm just…scared to be this open with anyone. I haven't had a good history with these things."

He looked me in the eye. "Leah, I will never hurt you like that. I don't expect sex and I never have, and I'm so sorry for making you feel obligated or anything like that."

"Thank you," I whispered, a bit choked up. "I really do love you."

"I know," Embry said, smiling gently. "If you want me to sleep on the couch just say so; the offer's still open."

I took his hand and pulled his arm over me, cuddling up to him. "Stay here with me. It's been forever since I had a sleepover."

Embry chuckled and pulled me closer. "I love you."

The storm continued through the night, but I slept soundly in Embry's arms, just sleeping. We didn't _have_ to do anything but be there for one another. It was a kind of love I'd never known, and it was lovely.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so in most of my stories the characters spend the night with one another. It's one of my little trademarks. I do have another trademark that I don't think anyone but my beta for The Single One and the LTL stuff knows… Anyway, review!**

**~Sidney**


	5. Working Girl

**I'm sooooo sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I've been catching up on sleep and hanging out with my family, and I just haven't had the effort to upload. I'm going to post a few more chapters today. I don't own Twilight or anything recognizable, and please review!**

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><p>"I need a job," I groaned, dropping my head into my hands.<p>

"I'm sorry," Embry said unhelpfully.

"No, I _seriously_ need a job. This is the third time I've been turned down!"

He put a hand on my knee and massaged it gently. "Well, Jake and Bella found me a job. Maybe they can find you one, too."

My head snapped up. "You got a job?"

He slowly turned red. "Um, yeah. I'm the new stock boy at the auto parts shop Jacob's been working at."

"That's great, Bry," I said honestly. "It really is. But I don't know what kind of job I'd want or what I'd be good at."

"Well there is a cashier opening at the shop," he said, somewhat singsong.

"No. N-O. _No_. There's no way in hell that me, you, _and_ Jacob can work under the same roof without the place blowing up."

Embry pouted. "Lee…"

I glared at him. "No."

"Well, at least let Bella help you. She _is_ your sister now."

That she was. But in the end, it was Rosalie that found me the perfect job.

"There's a shortage of nurse's aides in the children's ward at the hospital," she said casually the next afternoon, as we were searching through racks in the baby store, looking for gifts for Emily's shower that I was hosting. "Carlisle thought you might be interested in helping out."

I'd never considered doing _anything_ in the medical field, even if it was without training, but suddenly I was interested. "I'd never thought of that before."

"Well, Embry mentioned you wanting a job, so Carlisle mentioned it to me," she said with a shrug. "If you want the job it's yours. The pay sucks but the kids are adorable."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Yeah, sounds good."

Rosalie smiled, then pulled about six onesies off the rack. "What do you think of these?"

I laughed, seeing all the green. "Cute, but it's going to be a girl."

"I know," she said, "but this shade is pretty, and it'll look nice with her skin if she ends up looking like Emily."

I shrugged, letting her have her way. I'd discovered that was the best way to handle her, and it was okay. Later that evening, Carlisle and I talked and I left the Cullen home with a minimum wage job. It was a start.

Embry was waiting at my house when Rosalie dropped me off, and he'd brought dinner. "Hey, Lee."

"Hey, Bry," I greeted him with a light kiss, then I let us in. "Mom and Charlie are staying in town tonight, so it's just me and Seth here."

Embry pulled a note out of his pocket. "Seth's gone."

I took the note and read Seth's chicken scratch.

_Leah, Staying at Brady's house after patrol. Don't get into too much trouble. Love, SethPS- Embry, since I know you'll be there, I know where you live. _

"Well, then, I guess it's just me," I said, balling up the note and tossing it into the trash can as we made it into the kitchen. "Thanks for bringing dinner."

"Welcome," he said, putting the bag on the table. "How was your day with Rosalie?"

"It was good," I said, pulling down some plates. "We found some nice baby clothes for Emily."

Embry began to pull out food and set it out, getting a few utensils out of the drawers. "Well, since you're all alone this evening, do you want me to stay over?"

I laughed out loud. "So _that's_ what this is all about. Am I your new security blanket?"

"Yes," he said, catching my waist as I attempted to slip past him. "So, do you?"

I put my arms around his neck, pressing my forehead to his. "You know I want you to, but I have to actually get some sleep tonight instead of staying up until three talking. I start my new job tomorrow at nine."

Embry suddenly lifted me up and spun me around. "That's great! Congratulations, babe!"

I laughed and grinned. "Rosalie and Carlisle got me a job as a nurse's aide in the children's ward. I'll work weekdays from nine to five."

"That's amazing, Lee," he said, kissing my cheek. "This calls for a celebration. How about we eat this, then we go and get something good for dessert."

"Sounds like a plan."

We enjoyed out Chinese takeout, then we went to the diner for their secret specialty we'd discovered one afternoon after a patrol: death by chocolate pie. We got an entire pie and went back to my house to share it. At about ten, Embry got up to go home.

"I work until four tomorrow, so I can pick you up afterwards. We can get cleaned up at my house for dinner with everyone," he said, slipping into his shoes. "Do you need a ride to work? We can grab breakfast somewhere."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, standing up to see him out. "See you in the morning."

Embry pulled me into a warm embrace, kissing me, long and deep. "I needed a proper goodnight."

I smiled, kissing him again. "Goodnight."

"I love you," he said, his hot breath fanning over my lips.

"I love you, too."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay over?"

"_Goodnight_, Embry," I said, lightly pushing him.

He smirked and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

The next morning, I started my job. After breakfast with Embry at McDonald's, Carlisle greeted me in the lobby, then passed me off to a skinny, dark skinned woman.

"Jayne, this is Leah," Carlisle said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's a friend of my family's. She's going to be working as your aide."

The woman smiled, showing off perfectly straight, stark white teeth. "Nice to meet you, Leah. It'll be nice to have a helping hand with these kids."

Carlisle smiled. "Get her into some scrubs. I'm making it your job to show her the ropes."

"Yes sir, Dr. Cullen," Jayne said, grinning. "Let's go."

In the children's ward, she led me to a supply room, to a rack of scrubs with cartoon prints and told me to choose one. I picked up one with about a thousand tiny Tweety Birds on it. When I was dressed, she led me to the first room on the hall.

"Good morning, Dani," Jayne said, throwing open the curtains and letting grey light fill the room. "How are you this morning?"

In the middle of the hospital bed was a tiny girl, about four, with pasty white skin and dark circles under her eyes. She stirred in her sleep, then blinked her large brown eyes open. "G'morning, Aunt Jayne."

"All the kids call the nurses aunt or uncle," Jayne said, going to a cabinet and pulling out a few instruments. "It makes them feel more at home."

"I have pneumonia," the little girl said suddenly, startling me. "But I'm getting better."

I looked at the nurse. "Um…"

Jayne smiled at the little girl lovingly. "Everybody always asks her what's wrong, so she's taken it upon herself to announce it. And yes, Dani, you are getting better. Let's check your heart and then we can get you some breakfast, okay?"

The little girl sat up. "Who is this?"

"This is Leah," Jayne said, putting the stethoscope in her ears. "Breath deep."

As if rehearsed, the little girl went through the motions of a basic checkup with the nurse. When she was done, the nurse gave her a little hug and carted in the food someone had put outside of the door.

"Do you need Miss Leah to stay with you and make sure you eat, or will you be good and eat everything on your own?" Jayne asked, adjusting the bed so the little girl could relax and still sit upright.

"I can do it by myself," she said, rolling her eyes.

Jayne got down at the little girl's level. "One day your eyes are going to be stuck like that."

Dani grinned and blew a kiss at Jayne, who clasped her hand in the air and pressing it to her heart. "I'll see you later, Aunt Jayne?"

"I'll come by after I've visited everyone else," Jayne said, straightening up. "See you in a bit, angel."

Each patient had the same routine. There were several of them, most of them under seven. They had broken bones, viruses, allergic reactions. Generic, for the most part, if a children's ward in the hospital can _be_ generic. It was somewhat heartbreaking, but their heart and personalities were inspiring.

At around eleven, we came to our final patient of the morning. "Thomas is our special patient. I need to warn you before hand, he was in a very bad car wreck with his older sister. She didn't make it, and he barely did, but he doesn't know she's gone. He's also a bit…frightening to see at first. He has hemophilia, so he's got a lot of scarring and bandages on his left side. He would have died if it weren't for Dr. Cullen."

I followed Jayne into the room nervously. Sitting on the hospital bed was a tiny boy with a big grin and dark red scars where bandages were absent. "Auntie Jayne!"

"Good morning, Thomas," she said, opening his curtains and beginning his checkup. "How are you feeling today?"

"I feel _all_ better! When can I see Sissy Chrissy?" he asked, following Jayne with his eyes.

"When you're all better for real," Jayne said, tickling his chin. "C'mon, deep breaths."

The little boy took a while to notice me, but when he did, he smiled hugely. "Hi, who are you?"

I smiled and knelt down to his eye level. "I'm Leah."

"Can you be Sissy Leah since I can't see Sissy Chrissy?" he asked, his big blue eyes shining.

Jayne caught my eye and grinned, mouthing, 'He likes you.'

"Sure," I said, holding out my hand.

He took it in both of his tiny hands and shook it, grinning widely. "Guess how old I am!"

I shrugged. "How old?"

"I turn five in six days!" he said, holding up five fingers. "I hope for my birthday I get to see Christina. She got sick after the car hit us, too, but she's not a little kid like me. She's eighteen, so she had to be with the boring grown-ups."

I felt a little flutter in my heart. I didn't really talk a lot the rest of the check-up, but when Embry picked me up for lunch, I couldn't shut up. I told him all about all of the children, and spared no detail about Thomas. He seemed genuinely interested, and listened the entire time.

"So you like the job?" he asked, taking a sip of the coke we were sharing.

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "It's a little heartbreaking, but it's worth it. They're all really sweet and funny, and their personalities are unbelievable."

Embry chuckled and took my hand across the table. "I'm glad you like your job. Are you tired?"

I laughed out loud. "Exhausted. But it'll be okay. I just might sleep through dinner."

Embry took me back to the hospital, then picked me up after I spent all afternoon helping clean the rooms and supplies as well as the children. We went to his house, where he let me use his shower. After I was done and dressed, I finished towel drying my hair in the living room while he showered and dressed. Mom and Charlie arrived a bit later, then Seth showed up right before dinner started. I talked about work and the kids, and entertained them all with anecdotes about the funnier patients. I hung out after everyone left, and hung out with Embry and Cassie.

"Well, you're welcome to the couch if you want it, Leah, but I'm going to bed," Cassie said after a long while. "Goodnight kids."

After she left, Embry pulled me into his arms, letting me use his shoulder as a pillow. "You know," he said slowly, "you _can _sleep over if you want."

I looked up into his eyes, a light smile playing on my lips. "Tomorrow or Saturday, but I'm really tired, and I won't get any sleep with you because you can't shut up."

Embry smiled and kissed my lips lightly. "I'll take you home."

"I love you," I murmured against his lips, letting him help me up after a longer kiss.

His smile almost made me change my mind. "I love you, too."

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><p><strong>AN: I don't know anything about being a nurse's aide. Never have been one, and I'm not sure I could stomach going into the medical field, so I never will be one. Anyone who is a nurse or a nurse's aide, I'm sorry if I'm horribly wrong about what you do. Also, I have the utmost respect for those in the medical field because I'm squeamish and too light hearted to do what you all do every day of your life. Reviews, please!**

**~Sidney**


	6. Baby Steps

**Another update today! My internet is being sporadic, so I'm posting while I can. Review, and I don't own. **

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><p>The next afternoon, after another long day with the children, I made it to my couch before collapsing after Embry dropped me off at home. I fell deeply asleep, only waking when Charlie got home two hours later.<p>

"Long day on the job?" he asked, hanging his keys by the door.

"You could say that," I said, dragging myself up. "I came in with the intentions of cleaning up and getting ready for a date and instead I passed out on the couch. Anyone else home?"

He shook his head, then went to the kitchen. I stood slowly, my back and neck popping as I stretched. I was no sooner on my feet than Embry was walking through the front door.

"Hey, Lee, you ready to go?" he asked, smiling at me.

I made a gesture to my body, currently clothed in the same clothes he'd left me in. "Fell asleep."

He chuckled and pulled me into his arms. "Well, do you want a night in?"

I smiled apologetically. "That would be lovely."

"Tonight would be a good night for you to stay over," he said lowly, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Mom's been asking when you're going to finally stay the night, and she's going to be out late."

"Are you _really _that anxious to have me back as a security blanket?" I teased, whispering as well so as to not be heard by Charlie.

"Yes," he said softly, kissing my nose. "C'mon. All I want is to hold you while you sleep, nothing else. I told you, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

I pecked his lips lightly. "You sound like a cheesy romance novel."

Embry ran a hand down my spine, pulling me closer into him. "I don't care. It's the truth. Please?"

I looked into his deep brown eyes, lined with an dark -nearly black- ring around the iris. It was hard not to get lost in them, and even harder to resist him when I was looking so intently at them. "Okay."

His smile made his relentless begging over the time elapsed since that first sleepover worth it. "Let's get you some clothes."

While putting a few essential items in my duffel, I thought of something. "Embry, why were you whispering when you could have thought it?"

"I find that saying it out loud makes you believe me more," he said, rifling through a drawer full of old pictures. "Aw, you were a pull-up baby."

"Give me that!" I shrieked, diving for the picture he was holding. "Damn it, Embry!"

Embry instead picked up the small box he found it in -full of baby pictures of me- and ran out of the room. I chased him through the house, into the kitchen where Charlie was starting on a beer and the afternoon paper. Embry held the box high in the air, infuriating me since he was a good six inches taller.

"Do I want to know what's going on?" Charlie asked, not looking up from the paper.

"Leah's mad because I found her baby pictures," Embry said, laughing as I jumped for the box.

"I was there for most of them. A lot of them are of her feeding Seth bugs. Or pretending she was a dog. Hmmm, I just saw the irony in that." Charlie was still looking at his paper, but he looked like he was fighting back a smile.

Embry howled with laughter, so much that he dropped the box. I dove for it, then held it tight. "You are _impossible_!" I spat at him.

His laughing toned down quite a bit. "Aw, Leah. C'mon. Please forgive me. The picture was cute."

"If I had wanted you to see them I'd have shown them to you," I said, crossing my arms.

"C'mon, Lee," he said, pouting. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"And this is where I bow out," Charlie said, standing up. "You're staying at Embry's tonight?"

I was surprised that he'd heard, and it made me forget my previous argument. "You heard that?"

"No, I just figured," he said. "I know his Mom's working the graveyard shift and he's stayed over when your mother and I weren't here."

I blushed deeply red. "Um, it's not like that, it just happens that way…"

Charlie nodded, making a sound in the back of his throat. "It's none of my business. Does your mother know?"

I shrugged, still mortified. "Not that I'm going over tonight. She can't really say anything, I'm an adult; legally, anyway." The last part was said after the look Embry and Charlie shared.

"Okay," Charlie said, blushing deeper than I was. It was obvious this was awkward for him. I may have only been his stepdaughter, but it didn't make the fact that I was having a sleepover with my boyfriend any easier. "Well, er… Be safe, I guess."

"It's _not_ like that!" I reassured again, looking at my feet. "Embry, get my bag."

Embry, obviously wanting to get out of the awkward moment, obeyed, saying goodbye to Charlie. I wrote a quick note to my brother and mother, then said goodbye to Charlie, still not being able to meet his eyes. I brought the pictures with me, hiding them from Embry.

Later that evening, while we were cuddling on the couch, I pulled out the box and held it out to him. "You can look at them if you want."

Embry smiled, taking the box. He went through the box, studying different pictures of baby Leah. He laughed at a few, and asked for copies of others. The one he'd originally found, the pull-up one, was of me at about three, wearing only my pull-ups and a pink t-shirt, a blanket in the crook of my elbow and my tiny fists rubbing my eyes. A few more he found and loved was one of me as a swaddled newborn in my father's arms, one of me at age two with Bella Swan (or Cullen now, I suppose) and the Black twins in a wagon making cheesy grin faces, and one of me at age four, trying to feed a newborn Seth a ladybug.

"Charlie wasn't joking," Embry said, chuckling as he discovered one of me at age six, holding a caterpillar at Seth's lips. "What was your fascination with bugs?"

I shrugged. "When I asked Dad what Seth was he said he was like a new pet, like the pet iguana on some show I watched to learn how to read. The iguana ate bugs so I thought that maybe Seth would like them, too."

Embry laughed. "Interesting theory."

"Mom didn't appreciate Dad calling the baby a 'pet', especially when I tried to put a leash on him."

"I thought you were the one who acted like a dog," he teased, referring to what Charlie said.

I shot him a look. "The leash was the one my parents put on me to keep me from running off in public. I figured out how to get out of it and tried to put Seth in it."

Embry couldn't hold back his laughter. "Your parents put you in a leash, too?"

Before I could question him, he got up and crossed the room to a small cabinet, where he pulled out a large scrap book. He sat down next to me and flipped through several pictures until he found the one he wanted. A toddler stood in a baby blue shirt and baby cargo pants, a baby harness on him and his thumb in his mouth, looking at the camera with a joyful expression. We shared a laugh over that picture, then looked at several others, comparing mine with his. He was an adorable baby, and he thought the same of me.

For dinner, we worked together and made enough red beans and rice for his mother to have some at whatever time she'd get home. After successfully filling ourselves, we changed into our respective pajamas and snuggled together on the couch. My eyelids began to droop after a while, and Embry caught the decline in speed of my heartbeat and breathing.

"Is it bedtime for the princess?" he teased, rubbing my shoulder.

I nodded, readjusting my head in the middle of his chest. "I'm worn out."

He was silent for a minute. "Well do you want to sleep here or my room?"

"How late is late for your mom?" I mumbled, slowly losing brain function to unconsciousness.

"She'll get in at two, make a lot of noise, then crash in here or her bed, depending on how far she makes it."

"Your room," I groaned, hauling myself up.

"Well," he said, sitting up and putting his arms around my shoulders again. "Do you want me to sleep on the couch or on the floor?"

I turned to him and smiled softly. "You're sweet and considerate, and I love you for that, but I trust you. And what was the point of me sleeping over if I wasn't going to be you're security blanket?"

Embry smiled, leaning to press his forehead against mine. "You're pretty awesome, you know that?"

I smiled wider, then pecked his lips lightly. "I know."

He laughed, standing up and stretching. He took my hands and pulled me to my feet, supporting me to his room, where his bed was unmade. "Sorry. I woke up late."

I chuckled, then got in when he held up the covers. I began to fall asleep the second I was enveloped by his scent, and I barely registered Embry joining me and pulling me to his chest before I fell dead asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I was along and Embry's shower was running. I snuggled down into his covers, taking one of his pillows and hugging it, inhaling his scent. I dozed in and out, listening to the shower running, then to the various sounds of him spraying himself with deodorant and slapping aftershave onto his face. I slowly drifted off again, falling completely asleep. After a bit, I was reawakened when he slid back into the bed, the rough denim of his jeans lightly rubbing my leg.

"You awake?" he asked softly, tracing my cheekbones with his fingertips.

I smiled softly. "Kinda."

"You know you tease me about having a security blanket, yet I'm gone for half an hour and you have to cuddle with a pillow," he teased, pulling said pillow out of my grasp. He pulled me closer and wrapped me up in his arms. "Much better."

"So full of yourself," I mumbled, burying my face in his chest. "But you smell good."

Embry chuckled softly, kissing my head. "Nessie's birthday party is today."

I nodded. "Yeah. When?"

"A few hours, you have time to sleep more if you want."

"I slept good last night," I murmured, sighing contently. "I might get up in a minute. Or ten. Or sixty…"

Embry laughed at my expense. "Fine with me."

I lifted my head to look at him. He was freshly shaved and had a few razor bumps, already clearing up, and I smelled peppermint on his breath. "I think I may need to get up now. I might never wake up if I fall back asleep."

"Okay," he said, mock pouting. "Kiss?"

"Morning breath," I said, sitting up slowly, letting the blood flow normally. "When I'm dressed."

I got ready in his bathroom, towel drying my hair after shaking it out. I dressed in one of the outfits Rosalie had insisted on buying me, so I walked out of his bathroom in a denim skirt and an orange, flowy blouse. "Do you want to grab something for breakfast on the way?"

Embry smiled, getting up off of his bed. "Let's go."

On the way out, we passed Cassie, who was asleep on the couch. Embry stopped for a moment to cover her with a blanket and take off her tennis shoes, then kiss her cheek gently. It was adorable, and I was once again reminded that he would never be able to do that with a child of ours.

We ate at the little diner in town, sitting at the counter and sharing an order of waffles, since we were sure Esme would force feed us at some point in the day. We got to the Cullen's home a bit earlier than everyone else, and the baby greeted us at the door, grabbing our hands and dragging us inside.

"It's my birthday!" she announced, pulling us to the living room, which had been decorated in pink streamers and balloons. "See? Aunt Leah, Aunt Rosalie wanted for you to go to the garage when you got here. Her and Uncle Emmett are working on Jasper's motorcycle."

"Okay," I said, letting go of her hand. "Thank you."

"Uncle Embry, come see my present stack!" Nessie said, dragging Embry away.

I turned and walked out to the little garage, waving at the other vamps I saw on my way out. Inside, the oversized toddler was holding up the motorcycle at an angle for Rose to work on it without having to get in the floor and ruin her designer jeans.

"Oh, hi, Leah," she said, smiling at me as she finished something with a screwdriver. "Done. You can go on in, Emmett."

Emmett put down the bike and stood, giving me a nod before leaving.

"You left something here the other day," Rosalie said, going to her car and reaching into the back seat, pulling out a wrapped box- mine and Embry's gift to Nessie. "I wrapped it for you, but you can sign it."

I smiled, taking the box from her. "You're a life saver. I totally forgot about it. Those kids are energy draining."

She chuckled, pulling a pen from a drawer. "Here. And yeah, I've heard stories."

"A few of them call me Sissy Leah. It's kind of cute."

Rosalie and I both froze, listening to the cars pulling into the long driveway. "Let's go," she said, nodding to the door.

We went inside, where the party was beginning. There was more food than was needed, a pile of presents a mile high, and many people of different species. Nessie loved chaos, talking to anyone and everyone. My mother and Charlie were there, along with Seth and a few other members of the pack. It was fun, watching the tiny ball of energy flit around the room, hugging and kissing everyone, showing them her gift and how it was developing, and finally opening her gifts.

Along with opening many boxes of clothing, CDs, books, and accessories, she opened mine and Embry's gift.

"To Nessie, from Aunt Leah and Uncle Embry," she announced, then ripped into the paper.

We'd decided to go with something simple, but that she could use, hopefully, and we'd gotten her a digital photo frame. She liked it, and insisted the party pictures go into it. After ours, she opened Jacob's. Of course he'd spoiled her, and his gift to her was a playhouse that trumped everything else.

"Thank you, Jacob!" she cried, flying into his arms. "I love it!"

"You're welcome, baby girl," he said, kissing her cheek. "Do you want to build it tomorrow?"

She grinned and nodded, and the party went on. It was cute, seeing her and Jacob's behavior. In the end, though, I was glad that Embry and I didn't have to wait to be together. When people began to leave, Embry and I decided to go back to my house to relax, tired and stuffed to the brim with food. We dozed on my couch for a while, through Mom and Charlie getting home, through Seth getting home, and through Brady and Collin coming over to get Seth. When it came time for Embry to go, I was too exhausted to care. I went to bed very early, right after he left, and slept well into the night and into the next day.

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><p><strong>AN: I had to put Charlie in here. I love Charlie. And Billy Burke, who plays Charlie. And the dad in Red Riding Hood. I think I may have an illness. *smiles like a lunatic* Okay, now that that's out of my system, review! **

**~Sidney**


	7. Little Treasures

**There's only two more chapters of Falling after this chapter, then the next installment will be published. It won't be until next week that it's published, though, so I might finish posting Falling today to hold you all over. I don't own anything recognizable, and please review! **

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><p>"Good morning, Dani," Jayne said, opening the curtains in the room to reveal the unnaturally sunny day in Forks. "How are you feeling today?"<p>

The little girl smiled. "I feel good. It doesn't hurt to breath today."

Jayne smiled, going to the cabinet. "Let's listen then."

Jayne and Dani went through the normal morning checkup. In the end, Jayne smiled. "Well, we'll have to wait for Dr. Cullen, but I think you'll be ready to go home soon."

The little girl clapped. "Yay! Sissy Leah, did you hear that? I get to go home!"

I smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, I heard that."

Over the week I'd been there, they'd all taken to calling me Sissy Leah, like Thomas. It was his birthday, and we were getting an early start on the checkups so the entire ward could go to the playroom early for his party.

We made all of our rounds, the last stop being the birthday boy. After his checkup, we started the process of moving the ten children to the already decorated playroom. Jayne got Thomas, because he had to handled with extreme care. A few other nurses and the other nurse's assistant and I got the rest of the children. I held Dani's hand as we walked down the hall. She was getting much stronger, and was full of energy.

"Happy birthday, Thomas!" she cheered, waving at him when we got to the playroom.

"Thank you, Dani," he said, smiling widely. "I'm five!"

All of the munchkins told Thomas happy birthday and sang to him, then they were all aloud to have a slice of cake and a bowl of ice cream. At the end of the party, Thomas got his present from the floor, which was a Transformers coloring book with a new box of crayons. He loved it, and that afternoon, he colored a picture for everyone.

"Thomas is so sweet," I gushed to Embry later that night, sitting on his couch with our legs intertwined. "He was blowing kisses to everyone and he colored the nurses and assistants a picture. It was so precious."

Embry smiled at me. "You really love that little boy, don't you, Leah?"

I smiled and nodded. "I mean, I've barely been there a week and I already love all of those sweet little kids."

"Well," he said slowly, "I'm off tomorrow. Do you think maybe I could come and see these sweet little kids you love so much?"

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Jayne's son came to visit Monday. She said it's fine as long as it's in visiting hours and as long as it's not taking away from my work. All I do in the afternoons is go around and make sure the kids are eating, and some days I help bathe the really little ones."

"Tomorrow after we have lunch I'll come back with you then," he said, squeezing my hand. "Do you need a ride tomorrow?"

"Yes, please," I said, then a thought came to my mind. "Since you don't have work tomorrow, and if you swear you won't talk all night, do you want to stay at my house? You'll have to sleep on the couch or something, since everyone will be here, but you can still stay."

Embry chuckled, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. "Really? I don't know what Charlie thinks of me and you having sleepovers."

I shrugged passively. "He doesn't really care."

"I don't know about that. You might not be his biological daughter, but he's been around since you were born, and I can tell he really cares about you." _Think about it_.

I leaned in and kissed him gently. "You're overly perceptive, and that may be true, but I'm legally an adult, and Mom's offered the couch to you several times. Do you want to or not?"

Embry smiled, lifting my hand to his lips. "I want to, but I won't. I'll stay this weekend. Charlie and Sue are going to be in Forks, and Seth will be at the Cullens'. We won't get funny looks."

I reluctantly nodded in a agreement. "Why does no one believe us when we say we're not doing anything?"

He laughed, yanking my arm so I was pulled against him suddenly. "It's not that they don't believe us, it's that they don't want to see something unnecessary."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Being?"

"Don't you remember how badly Seth spazzed out when he saw our kiss in my mind?"

"I repress those memories."

"Well that kiss was somewhat accidental. If anyone were to walk in on a fully intentional one, they'd be scarred. Believe me, I've had my fair share of issues with Jarred and Kim, and no one can forget Paul's whore of the week before Rachel."

I laughed out loud. "I see your point. Okay, well, Friday it is. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I need to go."

Embry wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, standing and stretching. "Goodnight."

"Night."

The next day, after lunch, Embry came to visit the kids in the ward. I worried that they might be afraid of a hulking man that looked like he could break down a door with his pinky. Oddly enough, they loved him. They able-bodied ones (including Dani, who was set to be released the next day) climbed him like a jungle gym, and the ones that couldn't get out of bed talked to him. A few of them asked us both a million questions, making me semi-embarrassed.

"Are you Sissy Leah's _boy_friend!" Dani had squealed the second I introduced him to her. "My brother Jamie has a _girl_friend. He says that's when two people like each other but aren't allowed to be a Mommy and Daddy."

I had blushed bloody red, but Embry had chuckled. "Yes, I'm Leah's boyfriend."

Dani smiled and clapped. "I _knewed _it! Sissy Leah, I knewed it!"

I nodded, trying to hold back the ever deepening blush. "Yes, you did know it."

She smiled happily at being right, then proceeded to harass Embry. When we got to Thomas's room, Embry had been poked, prodded, climbed, questioned, and nearly puked on once or twice. Thomas was sitting up, happily coloring in his coloring book. When he saw me, he smiled, then pulled out a picture he'd colored.

"Sissy Leah, look what I colored for you. It's Optimus Prime! He's the best one, and you're the best Sissy nurse," he said, holding it out to me.

I nearly teared up, taking the picture from him. On it, he'd written _To Sissy Leah, From Thomas_. I laid it down flat on the counter, then sat in the chair next to his bed. He had to have an experienced nurse bathe him and dress his wounds, so when I made my rounds to him, I simply visited him and cheered him up.

"Thomas, this is Embry," I said, smiling at him gently. "He's going to be visiting with you today, too."

The little boy smiled. "Hi, Embry! Do you want to see my pictures?"

Embry and I sat and watched as he commentated each picture. Finally, near the end of the visit, Thomas asked what most of the kids had been asking, though in a slightly different way.

I was getting Thomas a glass of water at the counter when I heard him ask Embry a peculiar question.

"Embry, are you in love with Sissy Leah?" he whispered, studying Embry carefully.

I flushed red, pretending to have not heard.

"Yes," Embry whispered softly, even though he know I could hear perfectly well. "I am."

I didn't know where that came from, but I found myself smiling softly at the thought.

Thomas continued his thought. "She's pretty, isn't she? I think she's pretty. She reminds me of Pocahontas, because Sissy Chrissy used to watch movies with me."

"Well," Embry said softly, "Leah couldn't be Pocahontas because Leah is a Quileute, and so am I."

The subject being changed, I returned to Thomas's side with his water. "Here, kiddo."

"I know Sissy Chrissy is with God," Thomas whispered all of a sudden, after taking a big gulp of water. "And I know that you and Embry are special. Embry's too tall, and he looks like the Hulk, and you're too pretty, Sissy Leah. You never have zits like Christina got, and you look like one of those girls in her old magazines, the ones who showed off dumb girl clothes."

"Thomas, I-" I didn't know how to respond to that.

"And I know Dr. Cullen is different, too. But he's different than you two's different. He smells like candy, and you smell like trees."

I looked at Embry and met his stunned eyes, most likely looking as stunned as mine. "Thomas, how can you tell?"

He shrugged the shoulder of his that wasn't burned and bandaged. "I don't know. I can just tell when people are special. Are you like superheroes?"

"Kind of," I whispered, looking at him fearfully. "Do you know how we're special?"

"No," he said sadly, looking at his lap. "I can't tell. I can just tell that you're special."

"Do you want to know?" Embry whispered lowly, shocking me.

"Embry, we can't-" I tried.

"The treaty was broken the moment Jacob befriended Bella. He's just a little kid. Who's it going to hurt?" he asked, begging me with his eyes.

"Okay."

"I want to know," Thomas piped up, looking excited. "I won't tell anyone. I swear."

I looked from Embry to Thomas, then leaned in and whispered to him nearly silently, so Carlisle wouldn't hear if he happened to be listening. "We're shape shifters. We can turn into wolves."

Thomas's eyes grew ten times. "That's really…cool! I won't tell _no_body, I promise."

Embry nodded, smiling at the little boy. "Good."

As we left, Thomas grabbed my hand. "Sissy Leah?"

"Yeah?" I asked, kneeling down to his level. "Do you need something?"

"I love you, Sissy Leah."

"I love you, too, Thomas."

Later that night, as I laid on Embry's shoulder on my couch, I couldn't get my mind off of Thomas. Little did I know, I had good reason. Thomas kept my secret, alright.

The next morning, I went to work for a half day shift. Jayne was unusually solemn as we made our rounds. Dani's room was unoccupied, as she'd been released early that morning, and I found myself eager to get to Thomas's room. When Jayne announced we were done for the day in the room right next to Thomas's, I was taken aback.

"Jayne, we forgot Thomas," I pointed out, motioning to his door.

"Leah," Jayne said gently, "did Dr. Cullen not tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

She swallowed hard, then grasped my hands in hers. "Leah, Thomas started bleeding last night. He was really tiny, and he was weak. Dr. Cullen and Dr. Gerandy tried their hardest, but he didn't make it."

I felt as though someone had body slammed me into the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliffs. "He's…"

"He's gone, sweetie. But we did find something in his room that belonged to you." She led me to the nurse's station where sat my picture of Optimus Prime. "He was a fighter, but he just wasn't strong enough."

I felt the tears trying to make their way up, but I tried to restrain them. "He…he…"

"Go home, honey," Jayne said softly, squeezing my hands. "It's the end of your shift anyway."

I nodded, clutching the colored picture to my chest as I walked out, numb to the core. Embry was already waiting in the parking lot for me, and could tell something was wrong instantly.

"Leah, are you-"

I held up a hand. _Not right now, please_.

He nodded, opening the passenger door for me. He drove us to my house, then led me in. I put the picture on my dresser, then sat down on the edge of my bed and broke down. Embry didn't ask questions. Instead, he sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms, letting me sob hopelessly into his chest. It was unbelievably painful, the loss of Thomas. It was shocking, as well. I'd barely known him a week, and yet his death left me shattered.

_He's gone_… I finally told Embry. _Thomas is gone_…

Embry held me tighter, kissing my head gently. "Leah…"

_Don't talk, please. I just want to… I don't know_.

_Okay_, he thought back, rubbing my back.

I don't know how long I cried in his arms, but I knew it was actually helping. Embry holding me, loving me, made everything hurt just a little bit less. After a long time, I pulled back from his embrace, wiping my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice breaking. "For everything."

Embry nodded, cupping my face in his hands. "You don't have to thank me," he said softly, kissing me gently on the mouth. "I love you."

I nodded, my voice failing me. _I love you, too_.

After ordering in a pizza, then sharing a pint of ice cream, we turned in early. Laying in my bed, Embry's arms around me protectively, I told him everything. When he was amazingly understanding, I wanted to cry again.

"Embry, you're so sweet," I whispered, swallowing and choking.

"I'm just being there for my girl," he said softly, kissing my head.

I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat. "But even that. I don't think I know any guy that would lay in bed, holding his crying girlfriend, without trying something."

"Then you've just never had the right guy, Leah. I _love_ you, and I'd never do anything to hurt you. You're too important to mess that up."

My response was a slow, deep kiss. After the kiss ended, after what seemed like a lifetime and yet still all too soon, I settled against his chest, unconsciousness calling to me. "I love you, Embry."

"I love you, Leah."

Thomas kept our secret to the grave, a grave he went to all too soon. As I fell asleep, I couldn't help but wonder how many young lives I would see be lost far too soon.

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><p><strong>AN: I was seriously crying as I wrote this chapter. I hate it, but I planned from the beginning for Thomas to die. It was just something I had to do, and all will be explained later. Please review! **

**~Sidney**


	8. Silence

**I know it's been a bit since the last update. I'm sorry, but I had no internet! I'm posting this and the last chapter tonight, then I'll but up the next story, Loving, later tonight or in the morning. I don't own anything recognizable. **

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><p>I woke up the next morning laying on Embry's chest. His arms were around me protectively, and one of my arms was thrown across his waist. I could tell by his breathing patterns that he was awake, and when I looked up, his eyes were open.<p>

"Morning, beautiful," he murmured, running a hand down my spine. "Did you sleep okay?"

"No," I admitted, making a bit of a face. "Sorry."

"Leah," he said softly, "it's okay. You don't have to apologize."

I nodded slowly, then shifted closer to him, my forehead against his. "Thank you for being here for me yesterday."

He smiled gently, running his hand up my spine to the back of my neck, massaging it gently. "I love you."

"It's weird," I said with a sigh. "I barely knew him and I still…" I choked up a bit, unable to finish my sentence. _I miss him_.

_I know, beautiful. He was special to you, I get it. I'm here for you._ Embry was being so kind to me.

"Thank you," I whispered, tilting my head up for a kiss.

Embry made me breakfast when we finally dragged ourselves out of bed. It was kind of cute, watching him run around trying to cook. I tried to help him, but he refused, insisting that he could do it himself. In the end, it wasn't too bad, and for what it lacked in flavor it made up for in thought. Embry was being a sweetheart, and all day he was extra attentive to me.

We went to our cliff, to the natural room under it. We packed a picnic and sat in the little room, watching the steady rain outside. Embry kept an arm around me then entire time, and we said very little. It was a comfortable silence, much welcomed by me, because for the last day I'd been trying to figure out why the death of Thomas had hurt me so badly.

"What are you thinking about?" Embry asked after a long time of silence.

I showed him images of Thomas talking to him, whispering his questions.

"Oh."

Then it hit me. The reason why Thomas was so important to me. The reason I was in pain.

"Bry, I think I'm going to go for a run, to clear my head, okay?" I said suddenly, getting up and walking to the back entrance.

"Okay, do you want me to come?" he asked, starting to get up.

"No," I said, holding up a hand. "I'll be back in a little while. Okay? Just give me a bit. I'll leave my clothes here."

Embry nodded in understanding. "Okay."

He turned back around and kept his eyes trained on the rain out front. I stripped down to nothing, then brought out the heat, transforming into my grey wolf. I stepped up to Embry, butting his shoulder with my snout. He turned to me and smiled, stroking my nose and kissing the fur between my eyes. I touched his face with my nose, then nuzzled my head against his, relaying a silent message.

"I love you, too, Lee."

I gave a slight jerk of my head, then darted out the front of the cave and around the cliff, into the trees. I ran towards Forks, and to the outskirts of Forks. I found myself in the trees behind the small Lutheran church, where a funeral was being held, where a coffin that was far too small was being lowered into the ground. Thomas.

As the rain drizzled down on the normal Forks day, the weather chilling with the changing season, people filed out of the cemetery. In the end, only those covering the coffin in dirt remained, and then there was no one. No one to be there with Thomas. Except…

I checked for bystanders, so as to not be seen, and then crept out into the cemetery, up to his freshly covered grave.

_Christina May Lamont _and _Thomas Clay Lamont_ were etched into the headstone. His older sister was seventeen, he was only five. At least in the end he got his wish, to see Christina. It calmed me, in a strange -some would say sick- way, that they buried him with her. He loved her, and she could forever be with him.

Against my will, from the sheer power of the wolf inside of me, I threw my head back and howled for all I was worth, then ran into the woods. I ran as fast as I could away, back to the cliffs. I slipped into the cave, giving Embry a look that made him know to turn his back for me to phase down, then slip into my clothing. When I was dressed, I walked up behind him, dropping to my knees and wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. He was warm, and for the first time in a long time, I felt cold.

When I shivered, Embry turned around and wrapped me into his warm embrace, sheltering me from the chill of the air around us. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I whispered, shivering still. "I'm cold."

"I can see that," he said, giving the lightest of chuckles, then my body jerked hard as another chill wracked my body. "Damn it, Lee! You're freezing! Let's get you somewhere warm."

Before I could say anything, Embry was standing up, carrying me out through the rain to his car. He buckled me in, then drove us to my home. Mom was home, and looked shocked when Embry showed up, holding me as my body wracked with chills. She set to work making soup, while Seth -also home- called Carlisle and Jacob. Embry tucked me into my bed and threw several blankets over me, but still I shivered.

Carlisle made a trip down to my house, as well as Jacob, because it had been very, _very_ rare for a wolf to get sick. Carlisle took my temperature, which was normal for a wolf, and my blood pressure, which was also normal for a wolf. In the end, he sent everyone out of my room, strictly for my feelings, and talked to me for a few minutes.

"Leah, at the hospital, the child Thomas was one of your patients, correct?" he asked me quietly.

I flinched at his name, then nodded. "Yes."

"It was the first time one of your patients has died," he said gently. "It's normal that this is hard for you. Everyone copes differently with the death of a patient, especially a child."

"Thomas was more than a patient," I said defiantly, as if trying to justify my sadness.

Carlisle nodded solemnly. "He knew our secrets."

I was shocked. "How did you-"

"The night he passed, before it was time for him to go to sleep, he was talking to me while I dressed his wounds. He told me he knew I was different. He said I smelled like candy, and I looked like a sculpture. He was very perceptive."

"Did you tell him?"

Carlisle nodded. "I had to. I felt the need, so I told him, just as you did. He didn't seem surprised, or scared of me."

I shook my head. "No. He thought we were all superheroes."

He chuckled, nodding. "Thomas was a very special child."

"More than you know," I murmured, rolling over because I couldn't look at the doctor anymore. I didn't want anyone to see me anymore.

"You _do_ know, though. I'm very sorry that you've had to go through this pain, and I'm sorry I can't reassure you that it will never happen again."

"I don't think I'll ever meet another patient that made me feel that way. I really loved that little boy."

Carlisle was silent. "I know. I think that's why you're sick. You're heartsick, and it's making you physically ill. Rest, talk to someone, let everyone love on you. And take a few days off. Everyone always does after their first patient death."

"Okay," I whispered, not turning over as he left. I laid on my side, wishing there was someone else with me. _Please come back_.

In a few minutes, after everyone talked to Carlisle, Embry came back. He laid on top of my covers, trapping me under by throwing an arm over me. "Go to sleep."

I shook my head. "No."

"Then rest until Sue's done with the soup."

"What did Jacob want? Why did he come here?" I pressed, fighting him unnecessarily.

"Jake and Seth are in the living room. They'll be there when you eat. _Rest_, Lee," Embry said firmly, but tenderly.

I did as he said, until Mom was done with the soup. She'd made potato soup, my favorite, and even baked bread bowls, which was why it had taken her so long cooking. She gave me an extra large helping, and the boys ate with us. As we ate, Jacob questioned me and made sure I was okay.

"I don't want you patrolling for a few days, not until you're back to normal. That's an order," Jacob said, brandishing his spoon at me.

I made a face at him. "Whatever. I'm fine."

Embry, Jacob, Seth, and Mom all gave me looks.

"Okay, I'll _be_ fine."

"No patrolling," Jacob repeated, giving me a significant look. "And Embry, make sure she doesn't patrol. I need my beta better."

"Got it, bro," Embry said through a mouthful.

Seth piped in, feeling left out, "And no sleeping together. That's so wrong."

"Seth!" Mom said. "We're supposed to be supporting Leah, and if sleeping in the same bed as Embry helps, you should leave them alone. Assuming all you're doing is sleeping." She gave us a mock accusatory look.

Jacob snickered into his bowl and I turned pink.

"Only sleeping," Embry said, obviously unperturbed. "Pack mind should remind you of that, kid."

Seth looked irritated. "Whatever."

After we finished, Jacob and Seth went to play video games at Jacob's house, and Mom cleaned the kitchen and started on the rest of the house.

Everyone agreed that I needed to stay in bed, so Embry made me get into my bed, then he laid on top of the covers again. We stayed silent for a long time. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I didn't like it.

"Talk to me."

He chuckled softly, kissing the back of my head. "Normally you tell me to shut up."

"Well, I want you to talk to me," I said defiantly. "Just-just say something. I don't like the silence anymore."

"Okay."

Embry filled the silence with stories of his childhood. He explained some of the pictures we'd looked at together only a week before. He showed me memories in his mind, some of me. He told me about his crush on me before the imprint. He told me about our future. "And our kids can be brought up the right way, with a mother and a father."

"Kids?"

"We can adopt if it turns out you really can't have kids," was his explanation.

"But if we adopt, the kids won't be wolves. I kind of like the idea of being inhuman, you know. The idea of traveling with the Cullens or on our own forever is…appealing. But I don't want to lose a child, so if we adopt, we'll have to stop phasing."

Embry rubbed my back a bit. "I personally am not a hundred percent sure you can't have kids. I think maybe you could."

I rolled over to look at him. "You're optimistic, and I love you for that."

"But?"

"But nothing," I said, chuckling a bit. "I like that. You make me feel…normal."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel young. Like a normal teenage girl goofing off with her boyfriend. I don't feel the pressure to be mature and serious anymore. I like that I have forever with you." I had thought that for so long without telling him, it made me happy to see his reaction.

Embry had a look of total happiness. "I love you, Leah."

"Prove it," I challenged jokingly, not really meaning anything by it.

His mouth sealing over mine sure proved it anyway.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please?**

**~Sidney**


	9. Moving Along

**Last chapter of Falling! Loving will be posted later on today. I'm excited about this chapter. It's kinda different, and it starts to lean towards the next story. I don't own anything recognizable, and please review! **

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><p>"Welcome back, Leah," Jayne greeted me Wednesday morning, giving me a huge hug. "I'm glad you feel better."<p>

I hugged her back. "Thanks. I guess I wasn't as brave as I thought."

She laughed, pulling back and looking me in the eye, smiling. "No one is. Let's go. We have some new patients."

We made the rounds, our first stop being an six year old girl named Kelly in the room Dani once occupied. She was in for a badly broken arm after climbing a tree, and the break required metal plating. We made all of our normal rounds, but we didn't get near Thomas's room.

After lunch break, Carlisle called Jayne ICU, where they would be transporting a patient to the children's ward. He and Jayne brought the child down to Thomas's room, that I'd been forced to prepare. It had already been cleaned, so I only needed to make the bed, and when I was done, they arrived. In a small wheelchair sat a timid child. Carlisle lifted him out of the chair and into the bed, when Jayne covered him up.

"Leah, we need to set up the IV," Carlisle said, already opening a sterile IV kit. "Can you calm him down?"

I nodded fearfully, not sure what I should do. I knelt down at the little boys bedside and looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Liam," he whimpered, shaking noticeably.

"How old are you?"

He held up three tiny fingers. "Don't let them stick me again."

I reached up and offered a hand. "Dr. Cullen only wants to help you."

Tears sprung to he toddlers eyes. "Where's my mommy and daddy?"

"Liam, your mommy and daddy will come in as soon as you're fixed up," Jayne said, trying to take his arm. "Please, let Aunt Jayne see your arm for a minute."

"No!" he whined, tears falling down his face. "I don't like the needle!"

"Liam," I said gently, looking into the child's wet eyes. "Please, we only want to help you. It'll only hurt a bit, then you can get better. Okay?"

"But I don't want to!"

I continued to look into his eyes. "My name is Leah. You can call me Sissy Leah, okay? That's what people call me. I'm not going to let it hurt more than a little bitty bit, okay? Hold my hand and when it hurts you, squeeze my hand as hard as you can and I'll tell them to stop it, okay?"

He looked reluctant, but put his tiny hand in mine nevertheless. "Promise?"

"I promise," I said, giving his hand a little squeeze. "Now, can Dr. Cullen and Aunt Jayne put the IV in you?"

"Okay," he finally said, his voice tiny.

He offered his arm to Jayne and Carlisle, who went to work sterilizing his skin and getting the needle in before he could change his mine. The needle went in and Liam barely noticed, and finally we were done. His parents were allowed in, and we left.

"Leah, you handled that well," Carlisle said out in the hall. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," I said, blushing faintly.

"Glad to have you back," he said, giving a kind smile.

The rest of the day went unnaturally smoothly. Very little crying from shots or fighting bath time. It was calm in the children's ward, and the kids were happy to have Sissy Leah back, so I spent a lot of time in the playroom with the little kids.

After work, Embry picked me up as usual, and we went to have dinner with Emily and Sam. At nearly six months pregnant, her belly was really showing and she glowed with happiness. We all talked and laughed together, then sat around their coffee table after dinner playing poker for Oreos (the pregnant one's idea). When it got late, we all said goodnight and Embry took me home, where we sat in the front drive, talking for a few minutes.

"I have a surprise for you this weekend," he said, smiling secretively. "Kind of a three month anniversary surprise."

"But our three month anniversary isn't for another week," I said, doing the math in my head.

"Hence the 'surprise' part," he said, smirking. "And I have dinner reservations for the actual day, but I couldn't get the reservations until late so they couldn't be on the same night."

I leaned over for a kiss goodnight. "I love you."

Embry's smile was contagious. "I love hearing that."

That Friday, Embry picked me up from the hospital in the middle of a violent storm. He drove me to our cliff. Holding hands, we made a mad dash to the back entrance of the cave. He covered my eyes as we entered, then removed his hands from my face to reveal the campsite he'd set up. There were two sleeping bags in one corner, a small fire-pit dug out and lit, and a dinner set up with already lit candles and a closed picnic basket hiding the surprises.

"Rosalie helped, but I thought maybe we could do something with the cliff because it's where we imprinted, but then the storm came and we couldn't set up at the top so I thought we could do something in here and Rosalie had the idea to camp, so it's not really all my-" He was babbling, and it was adorable, but in that moment, I didn't want to hear his voice.

I stood on tiptoe and threw my arms around his neck, dragging his lips down to mine and kissing him passionately.

"Idea…" he finished, dumbstruck, after I pulled my lips from his.

"Just shut up already," I said, laughing at him. "It's perfect."

Embry's smile lit up the cave, then he pulled me over to the dinner setup. "I made all of this by myself, so take it easy on me. I took off and it took me all day."

We took our time eating, feeding each other playfully and devouring all of the food. It was actually really good, and he seemed very proud of himself.

After we finished eating, I noticed something. "I don't have a change of clothes."

Embry smiled and went to the corner with the sleeping bags, pulling a duffle out of the shadows. "Tada."

We changed with our backs to each other, then sat together by the fire in our newly zipped together sleeping bags, leaning on each other. It was sitting there, Embry's arms around me, that I really gauged what he had done for me. He'd taken a day off of work to prepare this for me, gone through the trouble of setting everything up and making alternative plans based on the weather, and made nice with my friend that he found annoying just to make it all perfect. And it made him _happy_, doing this all for me. I could feel his happiness radiating off of him, and it came back to me.

I leaned further into his arms to brush my lips against his lightly, murmuring against them, "You're so good to me, Bry."

Embry's hand found its way to wind into my hair, holding me against him. He kissed me slowly and languidly, so unlike my frenzied and passionate kiss from before. He took his time, simply memorizing my lips. After the most emotional kiss I'd ever experienced, he pulled back. "I love you so much, Leah."

"I love you, too, Embry," I whispered, listening as our heartbeats sped up.

"I don't want to have sex," he said after a while. "Not now. Not tonight."

I almost laughed out loud. "Not that I'm arguing, but why not?"

He gave me a significant look. "I wasn't joking when I said I think you could have kids. I think you could have a baby with me."

"I didn't think you were joking, but I'm next to certain that that just isn't a possibility, and I hate that for you."

"And I meant it when I said I want any child of ours, biological -for argument's sake- or adopted, to be brought up the right way, and I think the right way for us to have a family and raise children would be for us to be married when we do that."

I slowly pieced together what he was saying, in a way. "You want to marry me?"

He smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, someday. I don't care if it's soon or if it's in a hundred years. Like you said, we have forever."

"Forever," I agreed, smiling widely.

"But wanting to marry you and wanting to have a family with you go hand in hand. I don't care what you say, I think you could have a baby with me," he said, challenging me with his eyes to try to argue. "That being said, I don't want to have sex until we're married. Yeah, the imprint connects us, but I don't want to chance having a baby before we're married, because I want our baby to have stability, financially and in the home. I don't want our baby to live like I did."

I didn't have any words. After all of that time that we greeted each other as 'bitch' and 'bastard', now we were here, talking about our future. _I _was here, listening to the man I'd been so cruel to show his love for me. For the first time, I realized how truly intelligent and perceptive Embry was. I also realized how caring and loving he was to me and to a baby that wasn't even conceived yet. _Wow. _I shared my view with him with the mind connection, and he blushed.

"Well, I love you."_ Of course I'm thinking like that. _Embry smiled lovingly at me, leaning down for another kiss.

"I love you, too," I murmured, smiling back at him.

The storm raged on through the night, but it didn't bother me. All I really cared about was Embry and the night he'd given me. His words replayed through my mind, about children and marriage and sex, and I couldn't help but wonder how I'd gotten so lucky. Nearly three months ago, I'd been tortured by the fact that the fates had brought us together, now I loved it.

"Bry," I said softly after a while, still wrapped in his arms.

"Yeah?"

"I figured out why Thomas's death hurt me so badly," I whispered, looking up into his eyes. "I figured it out last weekend, when I ran to his funeral and watched from the woods, but I still had to figure out some things after that."

Embry nodded solemnly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

_Yes I do_. And I showed him everything. His conversation with Thomas, Thomas's funeral, and then images and images of Embry himself. Memories of us together, thoughts of him I'd had at the end of the day when we went our separate ways, and the overwhelming love I felt for him.

His eyes stayed trained on mine, and he slowly realized what I was telling me. "Lee…"

"I'm in love with you, Embry," I said, smiling a tiny smile. "And it took me a long time to realize, and even longer to admit."

"I meant it that day I told Thomas," he said, smiling back at me slightly. "I meant everything I said. Now and then."

"Thomas made me see how important you are, and losing him was like losing the truth. It was hard to admit it and be open with you after he died, but I am now." I wasn't making excuses. I couldn't do that to him.

Embry pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth. "I love you, Leah. I never thought I'd say that to you, back when I thought you were just a vindictive bitch, but now that I know you…" _I can't imagine loving anyone else like this. _

My heart swelled with happiness. "I love you, too."

We sat there for a long time, just smiling at each other. It was silly, childish almost, but I felt so grown up, just sitting in that little cave, staring into the eyes of the love of my life. We talked only when necessary. The quiet was comfortable. Welcome. We needed the quiet, the communication on a level other than in our minds or out loud. It was purely emotional, and it was beautiful.

Sometime in the middle of the night, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks, and I yawned hugely.

"I'm tired, I think."

"You think?" Embry said, smiling as if he were trying not to laugh. "Let's go to sleep, then."

He pulled me to lay down with him. I used his chest as a pillow and threw an arm over his waist, holding onto him. He kept his arms around me, holding me closer still. It was comfortable, being right there next to him, and soon I succumbed to the sleep. Before I fell asleep, though, Embry spoke softly to me.

"Goodnight, beautiful. Thank you for coming here tonight." He sounded asleep.

"Thank you for doing this for me. I loved it," I replied, my voice thick with sleep as well.

Embry sighed contentedly, then there was silence. We fell asleep laying close in that tiny cave, and I'd never slept better in my life.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Loving will be up later. Check out my blog, and review!**

**~Sidney**


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